Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has denied playing any role in the expulsion of a final-year student of the state university over an alleged unsavoury social media platform post.
Iniobong Ekpo, of the Department of Agricultural Engineering, Akwa Ibom State University, was allegedly expelled by the authorities of the institution following a post he made in 2019 that tended to portray the governor in a bad light.
In a statement in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, the governor’s spokesperson, Ekerete Udoh said it was wrong to link the action of the university to Udom, who the visitor to the university.
“We wish to state emphatically that Governor Udom Emmanuel, a known apostle of freedom of expression, was and is still not aware of this purely administrative action reportedly undertaken by the university” the statement stated.
According to the statement, the governor has directed the constitution of a panel comprising five members, to review the case and submit its report immediately.
The panel is to be headed by the commissioner for education, Idongesit Etiebet, the statement added.
Checks reveal that Ekpo has dragged the university authorities to court, claiming damages for wrongful expulsion.
In the letter by John Udoh, the university’s registrar, Ekpo was expelled due to ‘gross misconduct” adding that it was a breach of matriculation oath and a violation of the university’s rules and regulations.
“You are hereby expelled from the university for gross misconduct; publishing derogatory and defamatory article on Facebook platform about the executive governor of Akwa Ibom State and Visitor to the University,” the school authorities stated in the letter to Ekpo.
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